Celebrating Frank Keefe

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Over 500 alumni and friends
of Yale Swimming descended upon New Haven this past weekend to
celebrate the retirement of the Robert J.H. Kiphuth Director of
Swimming, Frank Keefe. It was an incredible sign of the
impact Keefe has had in his 32 years of coaching at Yale.

The weekend began with a gathering at Yorkside Pizza on Friday
evening with 150 people crowding the long-standing
establishment. Special thanks to Tony and George of Yorkside
for opening their doors to this large group! The event
continued with an incredibly full day on Saturday, including an
open swim for all former swimmers. Keefe coached his final
workout and it was great to see such a large group take part.
After the workout, a cocktail reception opened the Kiphuth Fellowship Public Lecture delivered by
Keefe.

The evening culminated with a standing room only dinner in
Commons Dining Hall where a number of speakers shared their
thoughts about swimming for Keefe. Dave Andriole ’86
served as master of ceremonies and led the spirited group through
the evening. The other speakers for the evening
included:

George Breen – Former University of Pennsylvania Coach

Judith Grote Deedy ‘92

Scott Dickinson '85

Ray Essick – US Swimming

Jeremy Fain '99

Jack Hutchinson '07

Kristin Krebs-Dick ‘93

Katrina Lundstedt '92

Moira McCloskey '07

Homer Meade '87

Phil Moriarty – Former Yale Coach
Josh Woodruff '92

In addition to the speakers, three special gifts were bestowed
upon Coach Keefe. First, John Lapides ’72, President of
the Yale Swimming & Diving Association, and Melanie Ginter
’78 presented a portrait painted by Gerry York
’81. The portrait will hang in the Kiphuth Trophy Room
along-side famed Yale Coaches Robert Kiphuth and Phil
Moriarty. Second, Todd Kaplan ’86 and Jon Sharp
’83 gave Frank a photo book compilation that included
pictures of all his teams and memories of his 32 years of
coaching.

Lastly, and perhaps most exciting, was when Director of
Athletics, Tom Beckett, and Frank’s first captain, Sue
Wellington ’81, came to the stage to honor the Coach with the
Kiphuth Medal. One of the highest awards presented by Yale
Athletics, the Kiphuth Medal recognizes, men and women
distinguished in the fields of physical training, sport, sports
writing, physiology, literature and the arts to visit the Yale
campus. Previous Kiphuth Medal recipients include Arthur Ashe, A.
Bartlett Giamatti '60, Joan Benoit Samuelson, George Mitchell, Carm
Cozza and Dick Ebersol. Both Beckett and Wellington made it
abundantly clear that Frank’s role as a mentor and coach put
him in equal company as the other distinguished recipients of the
Medal.

Special thanks to the event’s planning committee for
making this such a wonderful evening. The planning committee
included: